Ethics & Apologetics – 2020 iCrux Conference
We met one of the presenters, Gonzalo Chamorro, at the mid-morning break.
Early in the morning on the last day of February, we loaded up into the microbus and headed to Guatemala City to attend the 2020 iCrux Conference entitled “The Importance of the Bible in the 21st Century.” We picked up champurradas (light sugar cookies) along the way to enjoy with our coffee, and we stopped at a children’s home to pick up two teenagers who expressed interest in the conference during our most recent visit. All aboard, and off we went!
Upon arrival, our students were fascinated by the wall of Christian books at the convention center’s store. They asked permission to look at the books, to which we responded, “Of course!” It was fun to see their interest in topics like self-esteem, marriage, and anger.
So many books to explore!
“I know that God has something to say to me through this conference!”
As the first session began, we hurried to our seats and started to learn the importance of the Bible in the face of challenging social issues like dishonesty, abortion, and political corruption. The speaker, Dr. Cesar Vidal, assured us that we would walk away with more questions than answers. That was great news to us, as we strive to teach our students how to think, and not merely what to think. As we walked out of the auditorium for the mid-morning break, our students were wide-eyed with wonder and full of questions of all that they had learned. We assured them that we would discuss their questions further during the following week at school.
In the second session, we learned ten practical reasons that the Bible continues to be relevant. For example, God’s Word is key to understanding human psychology. It is an extraordinary instrument to generate social change. It shows us the way to eternal life. I (Callie) personally benefited from this part of the conference. I sometimes lose sight of the relevance of the Bible in certain parts of life; it is not merely a reference manual in times of trouble. Rather, it is the key to understanding the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of life!
At the end of the conference, we had the chance to ask questions to the presenters.
Great day with some great teens!
The conference ended a little after noon, and we hurried to Pollo Campero for lunch. A 6 AM wake up call had left us famished! Over lunch, we were able to take our time and start sharing some of the pressing doubts that we were left with. One of the teens from the children’s home shared that he really wanted to run away the day before, but then he remembered that we would be attending the conference and thought, “I know that God has something to say to me through that conference!” He is now committed to reading his Bible and praying to get to know God personally! During our weekly visits, Estuardo will continue to counsel and guide this young man as God works in his heart.
On the ride home, one of our students started reading her Bible out loud, trying to understand what she read. Jennifer is desperate for answers! Seeing our students full of practical, relevant questions about the Bible, and passion to find answers was our goal for the day. Mission accomplished!
Pray for Alex, Delmy, Jennifer, Alex (#2), Jose, Willy, Reina, Eileen, Estuardo, and I as we continue searching for answers and establishing our personal convictions through studying God’s Word.